Quote:
By the time January Schofield turned four, she had so many imaginary friends that her parents couldn’t keep up. Some of these “friends” ordered January to hurt the family dog and even her baby brother. Whenever she would try to hit her newborn brother, her father would have to hold her down. January would then attack the only way she could, by biting down wherever she found a spot on her father’s body. At school, she would hurl herself at windows and doors.
These fits of rage would last seconds or minutes, and then January would be the angelic daughter her parents knew her to be. January is also an extremely smart girl; she was able to speak grammatically correct before she was two years old. At four, she had the mental age of an 11-year-old. However, she preferred the company of her imaginary friends, which included little girls and animals such as dogs and even rats. She also refused to be called by her name. At the age of six, January tried to kill herself by attempting to throw herself from her bedroom window. She also tried to choke herself with her own shirtsleeves.
After several doctor’s visits and trips to a psychologist and then a psychiatrist, a devastating diagnosis was made. January had child-onset schizophrenia. She was one of the youngest people in the US to be diagnosed with this terrible disorder. As if this wasn’t enough to deal with, her brother Bodhi was diagnosed with autism at the age of five, and there is a very real possibility that he, too, might suffer from schizophrenia.
No, I don't imagine friends.
28 Nov 2021, 4:34 pm
